randy staub

[MetalJonesy]

It's been too long since my last post here. Randy is the freakin' man. This has not changed.

@MetalJonesy: That's really interesting, thanks for sharing. I'll definitely employ that on the next rock act I work with. Never considered it in the past! Chances are it'll just mess the mix up since I don't have a fraction of the know-how, hah.

if you have their cover version of saturday nights alright for fighting from the long road album (bonus tracks), its most noticeable on the intro of that track!

 

[kev]

I don't know if this is any relevance, but at the start of Nickelback's 'Throw Yourself Away' when the solo rhythm guitar is going, you can hear a subtle slapback delay on it. Perhaps this is another one of the techniques he employs on guitars, or perhaps he just automated it for that part. It does give the guitars a sense of space and depth though, almost as if it's a predelay coming from the room and hence creating the illusion of a cab.

All Nickelbacks guitars are hit with a 50ms delay Ermz

 

[Ermz]

Wow, well I learned something today. Thanks guys. I always suspected on the back off 'Throw Yourself Away' but it was never too obvious in the full mix to be able to tell.

Any other interesting insights into the Nickelback production that you'd care to share, Kev?

 

[kev]

Well Ermz, I can tell you that they frequently have over 100 tracks on tunes. Pick off "Today was your last day" which is the country ish song on the new album (and its an absolute killer). When i first heard it, i didnt pick a lot of stuff up as I dont listen on cans... but what originally sounded like chad and an acoustic really wasnt. There is actually a layer of bongo drums through that whole song buried deep, as well as a muted electric. I found it on cheap monitors, so i expect it should be a breeze to hear on a good setup. Very little info seems to have been published about the recording of dark horse thus far.

I have information from other albums though. I know that that ryan used a triple recto, matched cab and a triple xxx and matched cab with a single mic on each cab. Chad seems to be using Fender twins and AC30's but i dont know anything more than that about his rig. Chad and Ryan tracked once each side but two amps on each take (4 different amps totalled), and for certain areas they double it. Note, all guitar mics are SM57's. Ive heard they use marshall cabs too sometimes, and that MD 409's get used live also.

Chad has his own studio, and somehow managed to knab the greenhouses' ssl console which recorded the blackalbum and slippery when wet lol.

Drums:

BD: 1 x D-112 inside and Neumann M147 & NS-10 outside
ST: SM57
SB: NT5
Hatts: SM7s
Cymbals (zildjian): KM184
Ride: NT5
OH: NTKs
Toms: 421's & SM57's
Room: NT1000 & Coles Ribbon

I've heard about this setup live on the silverside tour:

BD: SM91 & Beta 52
ST: SM56
SB: SM57
Another snare: SM56
Toms: Beta 98's
OH: AT 4050
Hatts: SM81
Cymbals: SM81

Bass:

Mike obviously uses spector & peavey amps. SM57 on a GPS Power amp, a Bass 500 amp and of course the fabled triple xxx combo Dont forget one of these bad boys:

Vox:

NTK into Neve 1084 pre, 1176 comp, Avalon 737 SP mic processor. (apparently his favourite mic is a SM58 by MILES though for its crisp sound)
Some areas of chorus (and of course verb) on the vox. Single mono tracked, double on the choruses just like the geets. 100ms delay on most stuff, and then your proper delays on main bits.

Misc:

Acoustics: Coles Ribbon & M147

 

[Metaltastic]

Kev, how the hell do you know all this?

 

[aramism]

i love talking about these super heavyweights. i wish tehre was more about them. can we have a sticky dedicated to to staub and wallace please. they are def the most illusive guys as far as info and probably the two biggest rock mixers grouped in with CLA. but there is tons of info on him... not enough about the rs and aw.

 

[kev]

Kev, how the hell do you know all this?

I just remember reading a lot of articles Marcus, so thought I should probably post it up for our database of ever growing recording evils!

 

[Metaltastic]

Oh yeah dude, it's definitely awesome, I was just curious!

 

[kev]

Oh yeah dude, it's definitely awesome, I was just curious!

Unfortunately i wasnt there

 

[C_F_H_13]

Chad has his own studio, and somehow managed to knab the greenhouses' ssl console which recorded the blackalbum and slippery when wet lol.

Wasn't much of a "managed to" as much as he went to the owner and handed him a blank check and said "I want everything".

As someone who works in Vancouver alot and knows alot of the guys on fringes and deeper in the Nickelback camp, can I just say that 90% of what's published in those magazine articles is horseshit and it's all to keep their sponsors happy. Nickelback probably has more gear sponsorships then any other band on the planet, so they constantly are mentioning things they never actually touch in the studio.

I don't mean to make the information you've given any less valid, but just keep in mind that alot of it isn't always 100% accurate.

 

[kev]

Wasn't much of a "managed to" as much as he went to the owner and handed him a blank check and said "I want everything".

As someone who works in Vancouver alot and knows alot of the guys on fringes and deeper in the Nickelback camp, can I just say that 90% of what's published in those magazine articles is horseshit and it's all to keep their sponsors happy. Nickelback probably has more gear sponsorships then any other band on the planet, so they constantly are mentioning things they never actually touch in the studio.

I don't mean to make the information you've given any less valid, but just keep in mind that alot of it isn't always 100% accurate.

Sure man, thats always going to come into play when there is sponsorship involved. I do know this info came from fairly reliable sources being Kev Zaruk & Joey Moi though. And yes, it was pretty much a blank check by all acounts lol.

Maybe you have come into contact with the band, or can help us shed some more light on it mate if you are in the vancouver area?

 

[C_F_H_13]

....this info came from fairly reliable sources being Kev Zaruk & Joey Moi though......

I agree, and like I said I don't want to make it sound like it's all wrong...cause it isn't. I know for a fact that Moi loves Rode mics, hence why he uses so much.

I will say this though when it comes to guitar tones......I have heard rumors *cough* or fact *cough* that a huge portion of their guitar tones are done with no amps at all...all in the box.

Moi is a huge fan of ITB and last I heard from our SSL tech...their SSL is actually shut off 90% of the time and when it's not...there's 2 faders up....1 and 2.....

They also have the sickest protools rig ever...7 cards, 8 core mac...and probaby the most expensive ilok on the planet.

 

[HeadCrusher]

[...]They also have the sickest protools rig ever...7 cards, 8 core mac...and probaby the most expensive ilok on the planet.

Haha, well put!

Please Sir, could you shed some more light on this discussion with any rumors *cough* facts *cough* you might have heard?

 

[ItsAFugazzi]

I find it hard to believe he mixed Shot to Hell... That album is just poor. The solos clip and shit. It's horrible.

 

[jangoux]

I compress a lot more than you guys on rock mixes with the ssl on the studio and usually it sounds great. 4db GR, autorelease, 10ms attack, 10:1 ratio if i really need things punchy. More than 4db gets annoying, tho'.

I'll try this week to achieve something on the 10db gain reduction level and see what happens.

Tuning bass on melodyne is usual for me but that's a PITA. I hate that, even though it's easier than automating, but it does sound good indeed. That's why on Nickelback, for example, the guy plays those long notes and they never ever give that 'sustain-ending' vibration that sometimes sounds out of tune.

Btw, Staub mixes really rock!

 

[C_F_H_13]

I find it hard to believe he mixed Shot to Hell... That album is just poor. The solos clip and shit. It's horrible.

Agreed....however my guess is horrible tracking is to blame....and no di's....ect ect ect.

 

[greyskull]

I don't know if this is any relevance, but at the start of Nickelback's 'Throw Yourself Away' when the solo rhythm guitar is going, you can hear a subtle slapback delay on it. Perhaps this is another one of the techniques he employs on guitars, or perhaps he just automated it for that part. It does give the guitars a sense of space and depth though, almost as if it's a predelay coming from the room and hence creating the illusion of a cab.

theres some sly delay on L.O.G - sacrament too.
Listen to the begining of Blacken the cursed sun on cans or loud monitors, you get the riff one side then a delay on the other... pretty neat; used this quite a bit recently. doesnt work on everything

 

[kev]

Hey guys, what do you think of this-

http://files.getdropbox.com/u/1206505/Nickelback style guitar layers.mp3

 

[kev]

theres some sly delay on L.O.G - sacrament too.
Listen to the begining of Blacken the cursed sun on cans or loud monitors, you get the riff one side then a delay on the other... pretty neat; used this quite a bit recently. doesnt work on everything

Yup, thats even more apparent on the producers edition too

 

[jangoux]

For whoever said Nickelback uses 50ms delays on every guitar track: I tried that on the studio today, and even with loud monitors i cannot clearly hear a delay, but more like a double tracked guitar. Is this how it is supposed to sound ?

I did some compression experiments today at the studio and i will comment later when i get home (and my overly excited daughter allows me to touch the computer)